The Argosy — page 169: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

154 AAGLOVE'S..EVIDENGE, vs put up the shutters, Tommy, and fasten the door,” called Mrs. Toppin from her snug parlour behind the shop. “°Tain’t seven yet. Wants five minutes by the church clock,” ob- jected the boy, who, with his hands in his pockets, was standing on the doorstep watching the heavy thunder-shower. ‘Do as you're bid, lad.” Whereon Tommy went out reluctantly to perform his task. He had fastened the last bar of the shutters, re- entered the shop, and was about to close the door, when he felt it pushed gently from without. ‘’Oh, please let me in,” implored the soft voice of a girl, who was enveloped from head to feet in a long waterproof, the hood of which partly concealed her face. ‘But we’re shut up for the night, miss.” “Only the window ; and I don’t want to buy wools or embroidery cotton, or anything of that sort. JI wish to see Mrs. Toppin.” ‘On business ?” “Yes.” The boy disappeared into the parlour, and Mrs. Toppin at once came into the shop. “Well?” she said, not by any means with a conciliatory tone or manner. ‘‘T wish to enter my name for a situation. You keep a registry office, I believe ?” “ T do—for servants.” And the woman looked, with a practised eye, a little dubiously at the tall, graceful figure of the girl, marking her soft voice and refined manner as she asked, laying a shilling on the counter: ‘* Will you write down my name, please ?” Mrs. Toppin put on her business manner, with her spectacles, in a moment, and having desired her boy to light the gas, she took a large book from a drawer, dipped a pen into the ink, and said, oracularly— ‘¢ Name 2?” ‘Margaret Johnson.” Amery” “Twenty-two.” ‘What capacity ?” “¢ Anything.” ‘‘T suspect you’ve not been out before, young woman. You'll re- quire a character, you know.” The girl took a letter from her pocket, which she silently handed to Mrs. “Toppin. “Canon Bywell begs to certify . .. Margaret Johnson... Church of England . .. well educated . . . high moral character GoOmiGcdooks (E(0)